I signed my father up for PinnacleCare in November 2006 with an unknown diagnosis. We had noticed that his health had declined significantly since his move to an assisted living facility. He was in a significant amount of pain and could not walk. He was also experiencing cases of short-term memory loss and difficulty with bladder control.

That is the first time we had seen my father so mobile and happy in so long. It’s like having my old dad back! I can’t thank PinnacleCare enough for all their assistance.

Although the PinnacleCare physicians were sure that his diagnosis was Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, my father’s neurologist insisted otherwise. With a significant amount of persuasion, he finally agreed to allow PinnacleCare to obtain a critical second opinion. My father’s health advisor scheduled an appointment with a leading neurologist in Boston so that he could have a lumbar puncture test and assessment.

The second neurologist confirmed Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and suggested that my father have surgery to draw off the fluid. My father was living in Florida at the time so we requested a new neurologist closer to his home for this procedure. PinnacleCare identified a well-qualified neurologist in Florida and the surgery was a success.

Following surgery, my father’s speech, reasoning and overall physical health improved significantly. In no time at all, he was working on walking with a cane. Recently at a family dinner, he was walking with his “fancier” walker and actually walked into dinner with it. That is the first time we had seen my father so mobile and happy in so long. It’s like having my old dad back! I can’t thank PinnacleCare enough for all their assistance.

The firm is now allowing its entire adviser force to refer clients to PinnacleCare, which also created a new elder-care assessment… Many advisers feel that dealing with elder-care issues isn’t their responsibility. But as clients age, “you’re going to be doing this whether you want to or not.”

In a time of serious illness, these advocates can help research new treatments that doctors may not know a lot about, cut through the medical bureaucracy, and perhaps help frame medical decisions more objectively than stressed out patients and their family members. Advocates are not just there to help you heal but also to keep you healthy.

— Anne Tergesen, “Your Guide to the Medical Maze”

Consider hiring a private patient advocate… It could help get you the care you need.

— Judy Foreman, “For when a doctor and a nurse just aren’t enough”

“Pinnacle provided me with a name and with research that said, ‘here’s how other people are going it, and here’s who has the most long-term survivors, and here are their stories.’ What I got from that was hope. Not a bad return on investment.”

— Gregory Taggart, “Deluxe Health Care”

“I always thought the medical staff would return phone calls, answer questions and discuss treatment plans and options. I was wrong.” So the family turned to…PinnacleCare for help. Within one day, a doctor on the company’s staff reviewed her mother’s medical records and set up a conference call with a neurosurgeon from Johns Hopkins and a neurologist from Rush University Medical Center, who agreed to take on the case. “We needed someone on our side.”